Lubricating device



y 1934. v. J. HARRIS ,960,584

LUBRICATING DEVICE F iled Sept. 15. 1950 s Sheets-Sheet; 2

' /ernon c/. f/qrr/s WWW A TTORNEYS INVENTOR.

May 29, 1934. J. HARRIS ,58

LUBRICATING DEVICE Filed Sept. 15. 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3;.

INVENTOR."

l crnonw/ fiarr/s BY v g/ A TTORNEYS Patented ma 29, 1934 PATENT OFFICE 1,960,584 LUBRICATING DEVICE Vernon J. Harris, Cleveland, Ohio Application September 15, 1930, Serial No. 481,995

2 Claims.

My invention relates to lubricating'apparatus and has particular reference to an oiler for the upper cylinder part of an internal combustion engine such as is found in motor vehicles. Such q lubrication lengthens the eflicient life of the engine and assists in securing smooth and powerful operation.

Heretofore oilers have been provided to supply oil to the engine intake manifold, from where it was drawn by suction into the cylinders and through the valve ports for the purpose of lubricating the upper portions of the several cylinders, the valve seats, valve heads, valve stems, valve stem bearings, et cetera, and it has been custo-' mary to draw oil from a source of supply by.

means of the vacuum created in the intake manifold.

Different types of apparatus for this purpose have been provided. One type comprised a source of oil supply from which oil was drawn to Y the intake manifold through a suction line di- -sive to manufacture.

rectly by the vacuum produced in said line. As the extent of vacuum created varied with the speed of the motor, or with the effort it exerted, this type was very inefiicient for when the motor was idling and a minimum .of oil was required, there was a maximum suction through the line, and "when the motor was laboring heavily there was a minimum suction and therefore an amazingly low lubricant efficiency rating was obtained as the device operated in the inverse order to which it should.

A second type of oiler was one wherein a constant quantity of oil per minute was supplied to the engine throughout its variable operation. This type of oiler, ifproperly adjusted, was slightly more efficient than the first type mentioned, but it was wholly inadequate because of wide variation in engine functioning and oil requirements at different times.

One object of my invention is to eliminate the disadvantages above described as inherent in the oilers specified by providing an oiler wherein the supply of oil to the engine varies inversely in proportion to the suction or vacuum. Put in another way, an object is to so construct and arrange the mechanism that a maximum of oil will be supplied when the motor is laboring and a minimum when the motor is idling. Such anarrangement makes for maximum efficiency and produces an ideal type of oiler.

Another object is to incorporate in the oil feed line a valve control mechanism responsive to engine suction to vary the oil delivered thereto in inverse proportion to such suction.

A further object is to produce the above described lubricating action With a minimum. of functioning parts, simply arranged and inexpen- In this way the advantages derived from such an oiler may be available at little cost and minimum expense of upkeep and repair. The simplicity of my construction makes it possible for the average user to install it or to make whatever minor adjustments prove desirable.

In attaining-such objects I utilize various specific means for controlling the oil flow, but the basic principle remains the same.

Various other objects and meritorious features of my invention will be apparent from-the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several figures and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of the system as a whole, shown schematically merely,

- Fig. 2 is an elevationof my oiler shown partly broken away and partly in section,

Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 4,

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a section on 5-5 of Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 7 is a section on 77 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation of a somewhat modified form of oiler,

Fig. 9 is a section on the same form at righ angles to Fig. 8.

In Fig. 1 I have shown a general assembly of the several units used with my improved oiler .in a schematic manner. One form of my invention is illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6 and a modified construction is shown in Figs. 8 and 9.

The numeral 10 represents an internal combustion engine provided with an intake manifold 12. The gasoline vacuum tank 14 is provided with a suction line 16 to the intake manifold and the gravity feed line 18 provides the carburettor 20 with gas from the vacuum tank.

My improved oiler is illustrated generally by the numeral 22 and may be secured to the dash 24 in a suitable manner. The oiler 22 is connected with the main fluid stream which leads into the intake manifold 12 through suction line 26. Suetion lines 16 and 26 may be connected to the intake manifold 12 independently of one another,

, or may have a common inlet, as through T-shaped The top of the botbent down as at 38 under the projecting lip 32,

thereby at the same'time securing and sealing the gasket 34 in position.

There is a cored out casting 40, shown in detail in Figs. 6 and 7 supported in position over an opening in the top plate 36 by lips 42 of such plate seated in an annular groove around the base of the casting.

My improved valve assembly is housed in a dome like portion 44 of the plate 36, which dome is provided with an opening at the top, the edges 46 of which opening seat in an annular groove provided in a valve casing 48 of the valve assembly to support said valve casing. A filler cap 50, see Figs. 1 and 3, is provided to close the bottle reservoir and permit refilling thereof as desired.

The casting 40 is provided with a reamed out passage 52 which communicates with a tube 54 to admit a certain amount of air into the bottle for purposes to be hereinafter more clearly described. Passage 52 has a plurality of cup like baffle plates 56 having small openings therein to limit the amount of air admitted into the tube 54 and into the bottle. An air filter 58 of any desired material is inserted in the passage 52 for the purpose of further limiting the air and cleansing the same of any dust particles. The opening 57 through one of the bafile plates is so minute that so little air is admitted therethrough into the bottle that a depression is maintained in the space in the top of the bottle above the oil level, which space communicates with the engine intake manifold and is of substantially the same extent as the depression in said intake manifold at all times, though there is a slight difference, the depression in the manifold being slightly in excess of that in the bottle.

Tube 54 extends down to the bottom of the bottle and is provided (Fig. 2) with a fiaredopening 56 which fits into the bottom of a tube 59 in such a manner as to provide a small annular clearance for the admission of oil 60. Air admitted into the lower end of tube 59 tends to draw a film of oil up the said tube 59 along the walls thereof in much the same manner that a soap bubble is formed. In this way relatively small globules of oil are successively fed upwardly to a secondary reservoir 68 hereinafter described.

.A check valve of conventional construction is illustrated at 62 (Fig. 7) held to its seat by a spring 64 to open inwardly under a predetermined pressure to admit air directly into the bottle without passing thereinto through the tube 54. The spring of the check valve is designed to permit the valve to open under a slight depression in the bottle to pass air through the valve opening so that only that amount of air will enter the tube 54 which will function to satisfactorily lift oil through the tube or standpipe 59. An excess of air going therethrough would not function satisfactorily to lift the required amount of oil as above described and this check valve takes care of the excess of air which is necessarily admitted. Practically all of the air which enters the bottle through inlet 52 enters through this check valve opening 62. The bottle issealed except through the provided air inlets.

It will be seen from Fig. 4 that the oil is drawn up along the walls of tube 59 at the top of which it will overflow into a secondary reservoir which is in the form of a tray like structure 68, through the bottom of which the tube 59 extends. This secondary reservoir 68 is provided with a second opening in its bottom into which the lower portion '70 of the valve casing 48 fits. A cup like member '72 fits securely about this projecting bottom of valve casing 70, and said cup like element may be formed of soft metal so that it will firmly engage the same.

The valve casing is provided with one or more passageways 74 which permit oil to flow by gravity from the secondary reservoir 68 into the valve chamber '76, and from there through port 77, as regulated by the teat 99 of the automatically operable valve 98 into the cup like member '72, and thence under suction from the engine through a tube which extends up through the casting 40 and is formed into a bent over gooseneck portion 82 above the said casting. This gooseneck portion terminates above the top of the, casting as indicated in Fig. 4 to discharge as hereinafter described into a passageway 112. The goose-neck is provided with an air outlet 83 so that air escapes through this outlet and the oil falls in drops from the lower end of the goose neck.

Casting 40 is provided with an annular groove 84 (Figs. 4, 6, and 7) which is adapted to seat a dome like glass cover 86, whereby. the dropping of oil from goose-neck 82 may be observed. As will be brought out more fully hereinafter this flow is extremely minute, the oil issuing from the neck portion 82 of the tube in drops at "mying rates of speed.

Casting 40 is provided with another cored out portion which is internally threaded and receives the externally threaded nut 86 which carries the suction tube 26 that extends axially therethrough. This tube terminates in a cored out portion 90 of smaller diameter than that into which the guide nut 85 is threaded and of approximately the same diameter as the suction tube 26. The other end of this suction tube 26 is connected to the intake manifold of the engine as indicated clearly in Fig. 1.

My improved valve structure comprises valve casing 48, which is provided with a flanged cover 92 which has a central aperture through which the upper end 94 of the manipulable portion of the valve stem of the assembly extends. This portion of the valve stem is provided with a flange 96 which is adapted to abut the top 92 of the casing on its upward stroke, thus limiting the stroke in one direction. Movement in the opposite direction is limited by the stop bushing 101. Threaded into the stem portion 94 to be carried thereby is a valve body 98 having a peculiarly formed teat portion 99. A packing washer 100 and a thrust plate 102 are secured in position by an annular flange 104 formed on the lower extremity of the stem portion 94 and serve as an air piston assembly to actuate the valve 98 as hereafter described. A second washer 1.06 having an elongated aperture 107 to freely receive the flattened portion 98 of the valve body, functions as a lower thrust plate for the coil spring 108 I air piston assembly is open to the depression in the bottle through a provided aperture 49 through its wall and through the clearance about the valve body in opening 107 through washer 106. The interior of the valve casing above the air piston assembly is open to the atmosphere through clearance around the valve stem 94 in the cap 92.

The valve body 98 is flattened in cross section and is located in an elongated opening 107 in washer 106 so that manipulation of they valve stem portion 94 raises or lowers the valve body and therefore varies the position of the teat portion 99 thereof with respect to the outlet aperture 77 of the valve casing. This permits an iniw in the normal functioning of the device such reservoir is constantly overflowing into the bottle. This pan 68 may be made higher on one side than the other, as is here shown, so that as positioned in an automobile suflicient oil will be retained therein for functioning when the car is ascending a grade. Oil flows solely by gravity from the pan 68 through the valve controlled opening into the cup 72.

The cored out portion 90 of the casting 40 communicates through a reduced passageway 111 with a cup like recess 112 which communicates with the exterior of the casting substantially below the termination of tube 80.

The suction created in the manifold through operation of the engine tends to create substantially the same depression in the bottle above the oil level and also in the valve casing cylinder 114 below the air piston assembly. The interior of the valve casing above the packing washer 100 being exposed to atmospheric pressure as hereinabove described and as a result of this variation in pressure in cylinder 114 on opposite sides of the air piston assembly which carries the valve 98 created by the variation in suction of the engine during variable working conditions the valve 98 will tend to raise or lower and therefore to open or close.

Chamber 76 is normally filled with oil, flowing thereto by gravity from the secondary reservoir 68 and as the suctionbecomes greater when the motor is idling the valve 98 will tend to seat in the opening 78, thereby restricting the volume of the oil-admitted to thecup 72 and the tube 80. Control of oil flow by the automatically operable valve 98is maintained, it is apparent, over the gravity flow of the oil from the secondary reservoir to where it is picked up by the engine suction in cup 72 and tube 80. The oil is drawn by suction through tube 80 and drops visibly under the transparent dome 86, and then out through the passage 26 which forms the suction line from the intake manifold.

The amount of oil flow through the valve port into the tube 80 is controlled by the extent of the opening, and the exent of the opening is in turn controlled, not only by the automatic rise and fall of the valve 98, but by the peculiar shape of the valve teat 99 at its seat portion and the corresponding shape of the valve port. Experiment has indicated the extent of rise and fall of the valve 98 with the variable suction created under normal engine speeds and the shape of the valve has been designed to'increase the area of 60.

the opening through which oil may pass into tube in such proportion o the extent of movement of the valve that theproper amount of oil will be permitted-to pass therethrough into the intake manifold in response to varying suction and by adjustment with different grades of oils.

Manual adjustmentis used to adapt the mechanism to feed difle'rent grades or types of oil.-

It is to be noted that the cup shaped member 72 is provided with apertures 1 16 around its well for the purpose of permi'ting air admitted into bottle 30 to bedrawn out through suction line 26 and for maintaining the same air pressure within a the cup 72 below the valve opening as is maintained above it in that oil will flow. by gravity. It is likewise to be notedithat any excess of oil in the side walls thereof back into the bottle 30 and this continues substantially throughout the functioning of the device.

Air from bot. 1e 30 is also drawn out by the suction in line 26 through a passageway 118 which connects with another passageway 120 inthe cored casting 40. The passage 120 is provided with a check valve indicated by the numeral 122 similar to that illustrated in Fig. 7 and held in place by spring 121'. When the pressure difference on opposite sides of the valve exceeds a predefermined value the check valve is designed to open, thus permitting air to be drawn out of the bottle to compensate for air admitted thereinto.

Most of the air taken out of the bottle is taken out through this valve controlled opening, which it will be noted enters the outlet 26 beyond the visible oil gauge. If all the air were taken out through tube 80 the'oil would be so diffused by the excess of air as to render it diflicult if not impossible to visually measure the quantity being discharged from goose neck 82. The valve 122 therefore responds freely to the slight variation in pressure which is present between the suction line 26 and i he interior of the bottle.

It is to be noted that the suction created by the intake manifold and transmitted through the suction line 26 to the interior of the bottle does not function directly to draw the oil from the bottle 30 into the secondary reservoir 68 or from the secondary reservoir into the tube 80. It does creae a depression in the bottle which permits the air entering through tube 54 to lift oil to the secondary reservoir and it creates a depression underneath dome 86 through opening 111 which acts by suction to draw oil through the tube 80.

Primarily,of course, the depression conrols the position of the valve 98. This valve in response thereto tends to close as the suction or depression increases, and it tends to open as it diminishes. Therefore-the oil flow is in an inverse ratio to the depression maintained in the intake manifold and in the bottle. At high speeds and low vacuum oii flow is relatively heavy, at idling and high vacuum oil flow is relatively low.

It will, of course, be understood that the oil bubbling up through tube 59 falls into secondary reservoir 68, from which it flows by gravity into valve chamber 76. The valve opening is at all times so restricted that the oil dropped therethrough into cup 72 and thence drawn as indi- 'cated into suction line 26 is limited to a drop by drop flow which is carried through tube 80 and out through line 26. The valve 98 simply limits the secondary reservoir 68 will simply flow over.

empties into cup 72 and oil stands in goose neck 80.

.Oil. of course, also stands'in the stand pipe to the height of the oil level in the container. When the motor is started the depression created in the tube 26 draws this oil from the goose neck portion immediaely through the visible dome and into the engine as an initial shot of oil which is particularly desirable in case the enginchas remained idle long enough to allow the cylinder walls to become dry. I v

This depression in the tube 26 is communicated to the interior of the bottle above the oil level 'valve chamber to act upon the valve 98. The

.depression in the bottle approaches substantially close to the extent of depression in the intake manifold though it remains slightly below it. Air continues to enter the bottle through the air intake 52 though its admission is very much restricted by the small size aperture 5'7 andit does not enter in suificient quantity to disturb the required depression which is maintained in the bottle.

In the inception of this operation the air entering through the tube 54-flows over the end thereof and out of the lower end of tube 59 and passes up through the main body of the oil in the container instead of passing up through-the tube 59 as it is easier for it to escape in this way than it is up through the stand pipe tube 59..

The flow of the air downwardly out of the lower end of the tube 59- takes oil from the tube so that the oil level therein is reduced to the point that air will flow upwardly through the tube carrying with it in its passage a succession of oil bubbles which spill over t ture, however,

he top of tube 59 toi'ily to lift oil through the tube se while a large quantity of air will lift but a very small quantity of oil.

In the feeding of the oil when it is taken up by suction in'the goose neck 82 and the tube it flows through the tube 80 an air stream as air enters this tube through the apertures 116 in the cup '12 but a large part of the air removed from the bottle to maintain the depression is taken out through the inlet 120 into the air and oil stream after the same has passed through the visible oil gauge. It is desirable to augment the oil stream with air intermediate the visible air gauge and the engine because if the air entering at this point were admitted thereinto on the other side of the visible air gauge it would so dissipate the oil carried in the air stream as to render its visual measurement in drops substantially impossible.

In the modified construction shown in Figs. 8 and 9 the space in this bottle above the oil level is open to atmosphere through vent 125 through casting 126 so that unlike the structure shown in Figs. 2 to '7 inclusive, the bottle does not carry a depression above the oil level corresponding to the depression in the manifold.

In this modification the suction created by the manifold in the line 128 is transmitted through the passageway 130 to the cylinder chamber 132 of the valve mechanism. This valve mechanism functions substantially like that disclosed in the preferred modification. In this particular structhe valve stem 134 carries a tubular oil conduit element 136, which conduit extends through a guide nut 138 which is threaded into a chamber 140. The guide nut serves also to retain packing material 142 positioned about the conduit 136. This conduit 136 has an oil outlet 137. f

Slidably arranged in a cored out portion 141 of the. casting 126 is a block 142, which .block is provided with a ledge portion 143 between which and an annular thrust ring 144 is seated a coil bottom pm on of the spring 145. The upper portion of the thrust ring 144 is retained in position against upward movement by its seat against an inwardly extending ledge of the cored casting 126, the result being that the spring 146 tends to push the slidable block 142 to its lowermost extremity.

- Extending through the cored casting at right angles to the valve structure is a camming screw 148, the extreme inner edge of which bears against the lower portion of slidable block 142. Manipulation of the camming screw 148 serves to adjust the block 142 to any position within its range of slidable movement. A locking nut 150 retains the adjustment.

The block 142 is provided with a cored out central passage 152 in the bottom of which is seated a coil spring 154. Seated upon the coil spring and extending upwardly through a packing washer 156 is a needle valve 158.

As in the case of the preferred modification the upper portion of the valve cylinder above the piston 135 is open to atmospheric pressure by reason of the air vent 160. The upper portion of the needle valve 158 is shaped in such a way as to gradually close the passage through the-con-.

- as the said conduit is forced use in level curving over in goose neck fashion toward its upper extremity as indicated at 16%, and

adapted to emit drops of oil drawn upwardly therethrough into the opening-166 of passage 168. Conduit passage 168 opens into the chamber 140 between the needle valve and the conduit 136 and from here it is drawn up through conduit 136. This conduit 136 is provided with an aperture 13'? in its upper portion whereby oil is passed into the chamber 132 and then drawn through the passage 130 into he suction line i 128 which leads to the intake manifold, where it is distributed as heretofore described.

Where the lubricant is drawn out of the bottle through the suction line directly by the force of the suction, as is the case in this particular modification, it is necessary that the needle valve 158 be formed with extreme precision in order that the opening regulated by the needle valve cooperating with the conduit 136 so vary in accordance with the power in the suction line that the proper amount of lubricant be drawn thereto. In this case there is no secondary reservoir, as in the preferred modification from which oil is fed by gravity and its subsequent flow to the suction line controlled by the size of the opening only. Here both the size of the opening and the power of the suction determine the quantity of oil through the line and a precision adjustment of the valve is essential.

In this modification, however, the same important feature is present as is present in the preferred form, namely, an oil control device A novel feature of my assembly mounting consists in using a single strip of metal 172 bent as illustrated in Fig. 3 to provide two portions contacting the dash 1'10 and secured thereto by means'of bolts 1'74. The strip is oppositely bent at a plurality of points 1'16 in such a way that it tends to clamp about the projecting lip portion at the top of the bottle. The ends of the metal strip are bent out as at 1'18 and 180 to I provide projecting lug portions, one of which is air inlet and communicating through a suction line with the engine for delivery of lubricant thereto and for maintenance of depression within the reservoir above the lubricant level therein corresponding with the suction of the engine; a second lubricant container within thereservoir, a standpipe leading from adiacent to the bottom of the reservoir to deliver lubricant into said container, an air intake pipe leading from the restricted air inlet into the reservoir into the bottom of the standpipe, and valve mechanism responsive to the depression within the reservoir to vary the valve controlled opening adapted to regulate the discharge by gravity of lubricant from the secondary container into said suction line.

2. Lubricating apparatus for an internal combustion engine comprising, incombination, a

lubricant reservoir communicating with the engine through a suction line, 'valve mechanism.

operable to regulate the delivery of lubricant from the reservoir to the suction line including a needle valve and means for manually adjusting the position of the needle valve and a tubular seat for the needle valve said seat being responsive to the suction in the line to regulate the valve controlled opening inversely in proportion to the suction in the line.

VERNON J. HARRIS. 

